This invention is related to the art of providing interactive customer service. In particular, the invention is related to the art of using a packet-switched network such as the Internet to facilitate interaction between a customer and a customer-service representative.
Traditionally, a business assisted its customer by providing an on-premises help desk, typically with a publicly visible sign such as xe2x80x9cMay I Help Youxe2x80x9d displayed at the help desk. In general, a customer-service representative is available at the help desk to answer questions from customers. Such help desks are common at places frequented by the general public, such as airports, train stations, banks and shopping malls. Customers usually stand in line and wait for their turn to ask questions, obtain directions, schedules or other information.
The advent of the telephone has facilitated the provisioning of such customer service from a remote location. It is no longer required that the customer-service representative be located xe2x80x9con premises.xe2x80x9d A telephone listing in a telephone xe2x80x9cWhite Pagesxe2x80x9d directory, colloquially called xe2x80x9cthe phone book,xe2x80x9d denotes the telephone number to which a customer may place a phone call to speak to a customer service representative. Improvements in the telephone technology allow a number of customer service representatives to be listed in a telephone directory under a single telephone number. When a customer calls the listed telephone number, the call is routed to an available representative, based on a suitable algorithm. Typically, in a telephone network, such calls are placed in queues and routed to telephone operatorsxe2x80x94called xe2x80x9cagentsxe2x80x9d in the call center dialectxe2x80x94by specially designed telephone equipment called an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD). Sometimes, a number of businesses join together and establish a shared telephone customer service centerxe2x80x94sometimes called an xe2x80x9cansweringxe2x80x9d servicexe2x80x94to answer telephone calls and route them according to the wishes of the callers. In general, most such customer service centers use speech as a medium of communication, which is sometimes unreliable. For instance, the provider of the information may misunderstand the question asked by a customer, or the customer may forget to note the information provided to him accurately.
In telephone-based customer service centers such as those described above, supervisors of telephone operators or xe2x80x9cagentsxe2x80x9d often tap into the telephone lines and listen to the conversations between an operator and a customer to ensure high-quality customer service. Obviously, this represents a significant commitment of the supervisor""s time and adds substantially to the cost of the service.
Many telephone answering services use the so-called xe2x80x9ctoll-freexe2x80x9d telephone access numbers. Unlike a xe2x80x9cregularxe2x80x9d telephone call, where a calling party pays for the service, calls made to a xe2x80x9ctoll-freexe2x80x9d telephone access number are paid-for by the xe2x80x9ccalledxe2x80x9d party. These costs can become expensive for a business with a slim budget. A business can save the cost of maintaining a toll-free access line to its customer service department if there exists a means whereby interaction with a customer can be performed via a more cost-effective medium.
With the increasing popularity of the Internet, colloquially called the Web, as well as other data and packet-switching networks, reaching a customer service representative via the Internet has become a practically feasible alternative. However, there exist no such applications of an Internet-based customer service center to provide answers or other information to a user over the Internet or other data network.
The present invention is directed toward providing a xe2x80x9ccall centerxe2x80x9d-like customer service center via a data network. In one aspect, the invention allows customers to send messages to operators via a data network. In another aspect, customers may choose a representative to whom they could send a message for service. If no live operator is available for the customer to answer his questions, the invention provides a means whereby the customer can leave a message along with his email address for an operator to send a response at a later time.
In another aspect, the invention is a method whereby operators chat with a xe2x80x9clivexe2x80x9d customer; or place other customers on hold while conversing with one customer. In yet another aspect, the invention is a method wherein an operator can select a customer from the many customers who are waiting for an operator.
The invention is also a method directed to providing an administrator a view of the call center, whereby the administrator can visually obtain information about the number of operators and the customers with whom they are currently in conversation. In another aspect, the invented method provides an administrator the means with which to assign new operators, create new groups of operators who can service a particular group of customers, or reassign operators to other groups. In a yet another aspect, the invented method provides the administrator the capability to obtain various forms of statistical information or automatically generate reports on a pre-determined periodic basis or on-demand.